Believe it or not, there's a downside to Atlantic Canada's celebrated social networks. Put bluntly, it's tough for newcomers to land a job in a place that, to some degree, still operates on the basis of the answer to the question, "Who's your father?" explains Jim Meek. Real economic progress could be as simple as tuning up the welcome wagon, starting with our universities and colleges.

You get the idea: If Atlantic Canada could attract an entrepreneurial army of youthful educated migrants, this region would become the sweet spot of the knowledge economy. Well, I've got news for you. The foot soldiers of a better tomorrow have already arrived, and they're studying at our universities.

Once we figure out how to keep them here, BlackBerry billionaire Jim Balsillie will move Research in Motion's head office out of Waterloo, Ont., and settle down happily in Nova Scotia as the proud owner of the Halifax Mooseheads. And Robert Redford will stage his film festival not in a waterless Sun State but in the real cultural capital of North America: St. John's.

OK, maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

The point is that Atlantic universities are already harvesting a bumper crop of international scholars, along with fresh-faced kids from other provinces. About 7,000 "visa" students study in the region now, and the ROC (rest of Canada) sends about 5,000 additional students annually to universities on the Best Coast.

And guess what? A lot of our learned newcomers like Atlantic Canada well enough, after a few years of getting to know the place, that they decide to stay here for good. About one-quarter of ROC students settle in the region after graduation, according to research conducted by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission. And 30% of foreign students apply for permanent resident status in Canada.

I came across this story while doing some work for the Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU). Some of the key research findings came from two recent reports: one written by Mathieu Wade and Chedly Belkhodja of the Université de Moncton, the other by Dalhousie University doctoral candidate Sinziana Chira.

First, the good news: Atlantic Canada's 17 universities are working to "internationalize" their campuses. As a result, overall enrolment of foreign students increased 16.5% in 2009. In addition, governments get it. Our four provinces are encouraging graduates to hang around and smell the ocean. In addition, Ottawa has made it easier for foreign students to find work in Canada, especially for those eager to live outside of Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Here's the tougher news: Atlantic Canada's celebrated social networks can be impenetrable for newcomers. The research shows it's tough to land a job inside an economy that operates on the basis of long-established relationships with families and friends.

The problem may not be slow-acting governments, then. Instead, it could be us. It's time to widen the circle, to welcome people from around the world, and to embrace diversity, intelligence, and education.

Jim Meek is a freelance writer and consultant with Bristol. He can be reached at jmeek@bristolgroup.ca.